Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: IGFs (Insulin like growth factors) are important regulators of pancreatic β-cell development, growth and maintanence. Mutations in the IGF genes have been found to be associated with type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction, birth weight and obesity. These associations could result from changes in insulin secretion. Insulin resistance plays a key role in PCOS. Based on these findings, we aimed to investigate IGF1 gene polymorphism in polycystic ovary syndrome patients.

Methods: Eighty-six women with PCOS and 81 healthy women, recruited from the Endocrinology Clinic of Pamukkale University, were studied. The diagnosis of PCOS was based on the revised criteria of Rotterdam. Anthropometric measurements were performed. A fasting blood sample was obtained in the morning for measurement of glucose, insulin, PRL, LH, FSH, estradiol, total testosterone(T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), TSH and IGF1. Free androgen index and HOMA-IR values are calculated. Genomic DNA from the patients and controls were prepared.

Results: Women with PCOS had higher IGF-1, insülin, LH, SHBG and DHEAS levels, compared to controls. BMI and HOMA-IR values were higher in the PCOS group than in the control group. We studied the IGF-1 (CA)₁₉ polymorphism and categorized into three group as lower than192-bp(group 1), 192–194 bp (group 2), higher than 194-bp (group 3). There was no statistically significant difference for three subgroups between the patients and controls.

Conclusion: In this study we found no differrences in terms of IGF-1 CA19 polymorphism distribution between patients and control groups. In literature there are inconclusive results on whether IGF1 CA19 polymorphism is associated with IGF-1 levels, type-2 diabetes and myocardial infarction. Future prospective studies would be designed in large-scale PCOS populations which might identify underlying causal effect of IGF-1 CA19 polymorphism on PCOS phenotype.